The surrounding snow completely disappeared, and Arceus vanished without a trace. She found she had already left Mt. Fuji.
All around were ice crystals; she seemed to have appeared in an ice cave. Following the flow of air, she walked out of the ice cave. At this moment, she found herself in a whole new world.
If she knew enough, she would understand that this place should be called Unova.
"Ulti? Why are you here?"
She seemed to see a familiar figure, but the only response was a roar. That wasn't Ulti; it was a real Haxorus.
"Roar!"
"Ah? I'm not an intruder, don't misunderstand, I'll leave right away."
The Power of the Evergreen allowed her to understand Haxorus's intentions. She apparently invaded the creature's territory, but the Haxorus didn't do anything except watch her leave.
This was a special conscious space created by the Power of the Plate, all controlled by Arceus. This was also why he couldn't find time to inform Yamato earlier; it was a simulation of a virtual world.
This was not only a trial of strength but also a test of the heart. Haki itself is the power of the heart; this trial, therefore, provided some enhancement to her Haki.
Although she came to a completely unfamiliar environment, she was not afraid. After all, Arceus had already told her this was a trial; the only thing he didn't mention was the type of trial.
"What kind of trial is this? Godfather didn't even bother to tell me."
She wandered aimlessly in the forest. Other than some Pokemon, she saw nothing else. From the mouths of the Pokemon, however, she gleaned some information, such as the existence of human countries outside, and that they were in conflict.
At that moment, a celestial anomaly in the sky caught her attention. Flames and lightning alternately appeared; someone seemed to be fighting there.
Her intuition told her it was related to her trial, so she rushed in that direction. As she climbed over a hill, she discovered this was the city the Pokemon spoke of, and the battling parties revealed themselves.
Towering over ten meters tall, a black and a white giant beast were violently clashing.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
The White Dragon spat out a cross-shaped fireball, while the Black Dragon's body was enveloped by lightning, charging straight towards the White Dragon.
The fireball shattered upon impact, and each dragon, wrapped in their own energy, collided with the other.
Boom!
The two were evenly matched, but the aftermath destroyed most of the city below.
Yamato's appearance seemed to trigger a scene like a CG cutscene; she seemed to hear someone speaking to her.
[Reshiram and Zekrom were once one, assisting brotherly heroes to establish the Unova Region. But because of the difference in beliefs between the two heroes, the Dragon split into two.
The Dual Dragons were deeply disappointed in the war triggered by the heroes they assisted, and wanted to destroy Unova.
Young girl, ideals and reality oppose yet unify. They are two sides of the same coin. Choose the philosophy you recognize to prevent this tragedy.]
Words like a game background sound appeared next to Yamato's ear, and suddenly a blonde woman appeared beside her.
"Big sister, who are you? Do you know where my godfather is?"
"Miss Yamato, you can call me Hilona, I'm your novice guide. Please refrain from asking questions unrelated to what is before you."
A virtual reality game must have a novice guide. As for why Hilona appeared in Unova, it was purely because Arceus had a deeper impression of this face.
However, Yamato did not know, the game guide could also be deceptive. For example, the guidance she received now was to choose a faction, but in fact, that was not the optimal way to clear the stage.
...
"Is this the trial you mentioned?"
On the summit of Mt. Fuji, Kaidou also appeared there, seeing Yamato standing frozen in the snow, he didn't quite understand this sort of trial.
"Yes, but... for now, it won't be acknowledged, though it's not without gains."
It was an awareness space he created; he himself was the highest authority administrator and knew exactly what was happening inside. He had thought of many situations, but the current scenario was beyond what he expected.
Zekrom considered Yamato's idea merely naive rather than idealistic. Pure naivety cannot build an ideal world.
Meanwhile, Reshiram believed Yamato lived in an inner world and didn't understand what reality meant, so both Dragons dismissed her.
But while rejecting her, they simultaneously developed a special emotion, as Yamato didn't listen to the GM's words and instead triggered a hidden option, seeking to make the Dual Dragons coexist.
To restore Dao Dragon's existence, one must find a balance between ideals and reality, though she couldn't achieve this, she inadvertently stumbled upon the correct result.
That pristine naivety reminded the Dual Dragons of their beginnings, the first time they met the two brothers who also shared pure and simplistic ideals.
So, she was in a phase of being simultaneously rejected and examined by the Dual Dragons.
"We've known each other for so many years, stop beating around the bush, did you win this time, or did I?"
".....You won, she didn't achieve the goal I set."
For more than a month, Yamato's hard days began. However, she had more relaxation time this year, so it didn't make much difference overall.
When Yamato was kicked out of that space, she understood something upon seeing Kaidou's dangerous smile.
"Godfather, may I apply to try again?"
"I'm sorry, you can't. From now on, you'll have to fend for yourself."
The Plate was retrieved by Kaidou back into his body, and Yamato was directly taken by him. But she didn't notice that the back of both hands bore a black lightning and white flame symbol, a mark from the examination of the Black and White Dragons.
Yet moments later, the two marks disappeared. According to the agreement between Arceus and Kaidou at the start, she indeed failed, but she also achieved success in a special way.
...
Kaidou's figure flew towards a deserted island outside Wano Kuni, also a trial ground for the Hundred Beasts. He felt the venue on Ghost Island was a bit restrictive and planned for a larger play.
Many people in Wano Kuni saw the dragon's silhouette flying away from Wano Kuni, but no one was afraid because they were accustomed to all this.
These years, everything in Wano Kuni truly boasted abundant harvests and peace for the nation and its people, occasionally accompanied by Kaidou's hearty laughter and some familiar screams.
This custom was even treated by locals as a new tradition in Wano Kuni, causing some unusual variations to appear in local drama.